Zuko Komisa
- The ruling ANC has warned that vigilante action against foreign nationals violates South Africa’s new hate crime legislation.
- While acknowledging that immigration strains local communities, the party insists that public frustration does not justify lawlessness.
- To address underlying concerns, the government is cracking down on border corruption and upgrading major border posts with digital tracking and drone surveillance.
The African National Congress (ANC) has strongly condemned vigilante groups targeting foreign nationals, warning that acts of intimidation violate South Africa’s strict new hate crime laws.
Speaking in Johannesburg, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula made it clear that anyone engaging in mob justice or harassment would face prosecution.
“We urge our people to balance their actions with the discipline of legality,”
“We cannot fight unlawful conduct in a democracy by ourselves engaging in unlawful conduct.” said Mbalula
He confirmed that the party fully backs police and prosecutors in enforcing the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act, warning that vigilantism risks turning South Africa into a lawless state.
However, the ANC acknowledged that the core frustrations driving public protests are largely legitimate.
The party conceded that illegal immigration has placed immense strain on local communities and fuelled genuine socioeconomic pressures.
Mbalula stated that the government must urgently tackle private sector opportunism, corruption within the police and the Department of Home Affairs, and criminal syndicates exploiting porous borders.
While the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) cautioned against labelling all anti-illegal immigration marches as xenophobic, Mbalula emphasised that targeted verbal abuse, physical assaults, and intimidation outside schools and workplaces cross the line into criminality.
The NEC also urged protest leaders to guard against “third-force infiltration” aimed at destabilising communities for political gain.
Mbalula highlighted a new infrastructure programme to upgrade six of South Africa’s principal border posts.
This public-private partnership will introduce a modernised digital interface to track tourists who overstay their visas, alongside autonomous smart drones operating in real-time to monitor the border.
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